Black Christmas is considered by many to be the ultimate Christmas horror film. It is the pinnacle of what this branch of the genre provides. It is tense and littered with atmosphere. It keeps its threat in the shadows. Since that 1974 film, we have seen two more additions that crafted an anthological franchise. Honestly, I would consider that to be pretty impressive.
In 2019, we had our latest addition to this franchise. It was Sophia Takal's take on Black Christmas. The film was by many considered to be an unmitigated disaster. It was honestly what they would probably consider to be Blumhouse's first black mark on their resume. Blumhouse honestly is to this generation what New Line and Dimension were in the 80s and 90s. For the most part whenever I see something be labelled as a Blumhouse film, I tend to go in a bit open minded.
When it came to Black Christmas 2019, I missed it when it was released in theaters. I had kept my ear to the ground on it. So I had heard a lot of what many would consider its faults. For me, I had the pleasure of getting to catch the film last Christmas Eve. My partner and I were finishing up wrapping presents and getting them underneath our tree. Why not watch a Christmas horror film? So, I booted up our Vudu account and hit Play.
I had gone all in on the film. I managed to keep an open mind the entire runtime. Yeah, it wasn't a retelling of the story from the original film. It didn't have to be for me. It was something different. It honestly felt a bit fresh. Yeah, it was PG-13. But for me, that didn't hurt it. It's honestly nice to have some Christmas horror films that aren't straight Rated R bloodbaths. Actually sometimes it's nice to be able to go into a horror film that's just PG-13 over R. Almost a bit comforting if you will. Yeah, I have heard that there was originally a Rated R cut that ran 111 minutes. But for the most part, this PG-13 cut was solid.
Sophia Takal and April Wolfe crafted a film that stands apart from the original Black Christmas. To some, it probably felt a bit heavy handed with its themes. But it never felt like that. Yeah, its a bit unique with its shifting of the villain from Billy to the Hawthorne College Illuminati. There isn't one sole person but overall those members of the fraternity. It felt like the Hawthorne fraternity was a Legion that was spread by the mysterious black goo. Yeah, I said that right. There's black goo that is able to infect the men and turn them against the women. Does that hinder the film? Not really.
The characters in this film are all pretty unique. Well, besides the cold opening character of Lindsay. Every one has something that makes them feel like real people. They just aren't straight cookie cutter stereotypes. All of them also don't take crap when things start coming to a head. Imogen Poots delivers a solid performance as Riley. She's a bit on edge at the beginning of the film, but as it goes on she comes into her own. Cary Elwes once again brings a solid performance to the film. He's a very strong headed character, especially with the reveal at the end of the film. By that point, I wasn't surprised with it.
With the trimming of the film down to PG-13, it meant that there was a bit less violence. What violence there is in the film doesn't feel out of place. It all works together to serve a purpose. Would I be interested in seeing what the R cut would have been like? Yeah, I would be interested. Does it hurt the film? No.
Overall, Black Christmas 2019 isn't as bad as many have said. If you go in with an open mind, you might be surprised at how smart and entertaining the film can be. Is it perfect? No, but what film is? It is a good watch for the holiday season.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.
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